Unveiling the actions to be taken in the coming years to promote sustainable mobility, representatives of major companies dedicated to promoting electromobility, such as SQM, Porsche and Blink Charging, attended the 10th Sustainable Mobility Summit hosted by Latam Mobility.
The panel entitled “Sustainable Lithium Production, Development of Charging Infrastructure and Batteries in South America” was conducted by the President of the Chilean Electric Vehicle Association, Andrés Barentin, who opened the discussion by addressing the speakers on the current state of the automotive sector.
The Vice President of Technology and Environment Potassium Lithium at SQM (main Lithium producer in Latin America), Alejandro Bucher, opened the curtain stating that: “Talking about electromobility is becoming a synonym of decarbonization, so the role of this industry is sustainable in its inception and objectives”.
Lithium Carbonate is one of the most important elements for the battery development for electric vehicles, so it is of utmost importance for the automotive sector’s decarbonization that it is processed as sustainably as known. According to Bucher, “We have rethought the most efficient way to reduce emissions, leading us to have the lowest records for a Lithium product in the world, surpassing the Australian producers, who are the most traditional players in the market,” he said.
“We are trying to reduce as much as possible the footprint caused by a project, considering all the elements that generate a trace. We believe that the cultural change for a more sustainable world is already here.”
Alejandro Bucher, Vice President of Technology and Environment Potassium Lithium at SQM
Continuing the conversation, the Commercial Manager of Porsche, Vicente Díaz, assured that sustainability as a process depends on controlling as much as possible the details of the production line.
“The road to carbon neutrality is not only from the product we are developing. It is also important to consider the processes leading to that product,” he emphasized.
Díaz highlighted a project between the German company and BASF; together, both businesses will develop batteries with sustainable Lithium cells at a plant that will be operating as of 2024: “We will have a 100MW capacity per year, representing 1,000 vehicles between competition and high-end urban use models”.
Industry Challenges and Opportunities
A recent study conducted by Porsche showed that 64% of recharges are registered at homes; 25% at public networks, and 11% at restaurants and the working sector. Based on this data, Juan Carlos Barahona, Senior Director of Network and Charging Point Provider at Blink Charging, spoke about his company’s work on the development of a platform for monitoring and controlling consumption.
“The ability to make data-driven decisions to meet the challenges of charging is vital. We need to know the details for the correct management of the electric stations,” he said.
Likewise, the Regional Manager Latam of Wallbox, Diego Martins, agreed with the planning, mentioning that a standardization of charging supply points has recently been developed in Argentina and Chile. However, he added that ” in other countries, there is still a heterogeneous approach to standards. Therefore, we are working on comprehensive solutions for the public and semi-public network, seeking to generate recharging points in a broader and more accessible way”.
Below, you can watch the complete meeting.
